Scythe CPU Cooler Roundup: Mugen 5 Rev. B, Grand Kama Cross 3, and Byakko

A Trio of Air Coolers

A trio of tower air coolers from Scythe’s extensive lineup

Scythe is a major player in the air cooling space with a dizzying array of coolers for virtually any application from the Japanese company. In addition to some of the most compact coolers in the business Scythe also offers some of the highest performing – and most quiet – tower coolers available. Two of the largest coolers in the lineup are the new Mugen 5 Rev. B, and the Grand Kama Cross 3 – the latter of which is one of their most outlandish designs.

Rounding out this review we also have a compact tower option from Scythe in the Byakko, which is a 130 mm tall cooler that can fit in a greater variety of enclosures than the Mugen 5 or Grand Kama Cross due to its lower profile. So how did each perform on the cooler test bench? We put these Scythe coolers against the Intel Core i7-7700K to see how potent their cooling abilities are when facing a CPU that gets quite toasty under load. Read on to see how this trio responded to the challenge!

• Scythe Mugen 5 Rev. B: $47.99 - Amazon.com
• Scythe Grand Kama Cross 3: $44.99 - Newegg.com
• Scythe Byakko: $22.99 - Amazon.com

We'll begin with the Mugen 5 Rev.B, which is the latest large tower design from Scythe.

The Mugen 5 rev. B has as muscular a heatsink as I’ve encountered, with solid construction, no less than six heatpipes, and some seriously thick heatsink fins.

A quiet 120 mm fan that spins from 300-1200 RPM completes the package, and all recent CPU platforms are supported (AM4 support is provided via a hardware kit from Scythe).

The included hardware kit provides everything needed to get started, including thermal paste and even a screwdriver!

The mounting mechanism for the Mugen 5 is the same excellent system I encountered with the Scythe Ninja 4 (SCNJ-4000), which - for Intel installations - combines a metal backplate with threaded posts that are insulated with plastic washers to protect the motherboard surface.

Once the posts are tightened, a pair of metal brackets screw in place and then the cooler can be attached with a strudy metal cross bar - or in the case of the Mugen 5 Rev. B, an attached cross bar.

The end result is as secure as anything I've ever installed, and while not quite the same as Noctua's oustanding SecuFirm2 system I find Scythe's to be every bit as good.

The resulting installation is well clear of any obstructions on my motherboard, and should not pose any issue with memory.

Next we'll take a look at one of the most unusual cooler designs you'll ever see, the V-shaped Grand Kama Cross 3!